So here is the final version. We didn’t buy any new cupboard carcasses or frontals. Mervyn designed the whole thing himself re-siting the original cupboards to producing an uncluttered room with efficient use of the space. The original water supply pipes were very complicated: he moved the incoming supply which allowed him to relocate the sink, washing machine and dish washer to a different side of the room. This then left space to construct a breakfast bar and shelving with oak from www.linnellbros.co.uk in Silverstone. David Green in Syresham re-wired the room for us. We sourced a new sink and worktops (pitch pine) from Towcester builders’ merchant www.tbsdirect.co.uk

By an amazing coincidence I have 2 large clocks to repair. The first is an historic Indian Railways replica clock – it needed some dismantling, sanding down and re-varnishing. The very same week another customer brought me a clock which had fallen off the wall and broken.